Message from the Headteacher 14 October 2022

14th October 2022Miss T Carnaby

Dear Parents/Carers,

 

Well done to our Girls Football Teams

With England’s European Championship victory still fresh in our memories (as well as England’s impressive victory over the USA a week ago), it was great to see our Under 11 and Under 13 Girls Football teams enjoy their first competitive fixtures of the season.  On Tuesday our Under 11 team played Newminster and Chantry with a goal by India meaning the team finished with a gutsy draw and a glorious defeat.

Our Under 13 team lost narrowly to both the Duchess and Newminster, yet the game against Duchess saw a fantastic long range goal by Emily in Year 8.

Well done to Gracie-Mae; Layla; Emily and Maisie for earning player of the match awards.

 

East Northumberland Football Trial Success

Many notable footballers have begun their careers by playing for East Northumberland, most famously the Charlton brothers.  So we are very pleased that Emily in Year 8 has been chosen for this year’s East Northumberland Under 13 Girls team.  Well done Emily.

 

Lindisfarne Gospels

On Tuesday the whole school took part in an Art project inspired by the Lindisfarne Gospels.  Created on the Holy Island of Lindisfarne, the Lindisfarne Gospels represent the golden age of design and craftsmanship in Northumbria and have survived in almost perfect condition for over one thousand years.  Currently on exhibition at the Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle until December 3rd, children looked at the questions of “What are Gospels?” and “Why are the Lindisfarne Gospels so significant?” before then helping create an image for display during Advent inspired by Mary Fleeson, a contemporary artist who lives on Holy island.

 

Year 5 visit All Saints Church

On Thursday and Friday our Year 5 children visited All Saints Church, Rothbury.  Our Year 5s spent some time investigating Church vocabulary such as Altar; Pulpit; Credence Table and Chancel Screen.  The session will further support the children’s work in Religious Education.

 

Would you like your child to be confirmed?

This year our confirmation service will be led by The Right Reverend The Lord Sentamu in All Saints Church, Rothbury.  The 10.30am service will be held on December 4th 2022.  This is an opportunity for people to have their Baptismal promises confirmed for themselves.  The confirmed become full members of the Church of England and can receive Holy Communion in Anglican Churches worldwide.  Pupils from Dr. Thomlinson’s Church of England School may seek confirmation from the age of 10 years (or nearly 10).  Preparation will take place in School over lunchtime – there will be 4 sessions beginning at the end of October and each weekly session will last around 35 minutes.  There will also be a rehearsal in All Saints on Friday 2nd December.

 

Harvest Festival

Our Harvest Festival is taking place on Wednesday, October 19th starting at 3pm.  Parents and carers are very welcome to attend.

We are collecting donations of tinned food for the Alnwick Food Bank.

 

TOP Awards

Each week we awarded Thomlinson Outstanding Pupil Awards to pupils who have exemplified the week’s core value

w/c 10.10.22 – Service

5T Mia

5H Stanley

6O Leon

6M Callum

7I Eva

7L Max

8N Toby

8S Anna

w/c 3.10.22 – Creation

5T Ben

5H Edward

6O Ava

6M Khrystyna

7I Kayden

7L Lucy

8N Millie

8S Anna

w/c 26.9.22 – Justice

5T Annabelle

5H Louie

6O Oliver

6M Rosie

7I Amber

7L Dillan

8N Martha

8S Will

Well done to all of these award winners.

I hope you have a good weekend.

Take care,

Liam

Message from the Headteacher 7 October 2022

7th October 2022Miss T Carnaby

Dear Parents/Carers,

Thank you to everyone who helped out at our Open evening

Thank you to everyone who helped out at our Open Evening on Thursday, 29th September.  The best thing about our school are our children and all those children who gave up their time to make the evening such a memorable event did really, really well.  I include a sample of the feedback below.  All the people who attended thought our tour guides did a great job.

“We both found  the event informative with a feel of the whole school working together in collaboration to make it a success,all sharing knowledge and experience that came across clearly and with sincerity.”

“We were really impressed with the school, staff and students.”

“The school was so inviting, the pupils were fantastic, totally didn’t expect food!

It truly looks like the most wonderful place to learn.”

Year Five Pupil Welfare Day

On October 4th we had a virtual Year 5 pupil day.  A chance for parents/carers to make a ten minute appointment to speak to their child’s form tutor about their child.  Thanks to all those who made appointments.  We have similar days planned for Year 6; Year 7 and Year 8.  These will be in addition with our face-to-face parent evenings that are scheduled for Spring 2023.

Dr Thomlinson battle bravely

Dr Thomlinson battled bravely against The Duchess School in the first KS3 Boys Football fixture of the season.  Although defeated, they never let their heads drop and Will in Yr 8 and Toby in Yr 7 played very well.

Dr Thomlinson welcomed the Kakatsitsi Master Drummers

On Friday October 7th Dr Thomlinson welcomed the Kakatsitsi Master Drummers. They are a group of traditional drummers, dancers and singers from Ghana. Their music rearranges traditional rhythms and chants from a variety of Ghanaian tribes in a ‘neo-traditional’ and accessible way.

The group have toured the UK 15 times, including high profile performances at WOMAD, Glastonbury and many other festivals and venues.  In school they gave a performance to the whole school as well as leading drumming workshops for all year groups.

Northumberland Family Hubs

Northumberland’s Children’s Centres are relaunching as Family

Hubs on September 26 2022, giving young people of all ages the best start in life.  Family Hubs will build on lessons learned during the pandemic and will offer outreach, online and virtual services too, so that support can be as accessible for everyone in the right way, and the right place, at the right time.  For more information click on this link

 

Have a good weekend.

Take care,

Liam Murtagh – Headteacher

Message from the Headteacher 30 September 2022

30th September 2022Miss T Carnaby

Dear Parents/Carers,

I hope this email finds you well.  We have had a very busy and productive start to our new school year.

 

Open Evening – 29th September, 2022

The evening of September 29th saw our annual open evening.  More than 50 children gave up their evening to help run the event.  The best thing about our school are our pupils and they all did so much to make the evening a memorable one.  Thanks for all their help.

 

Macmillan Coffee Morning

The morning of September 30th saw our annual Macmillan Coffee Morning for parents who are new to the school.  Mrs Ryan and I really enjoyed this opportunity to have a chat with the parents/carers who attended.  Thank you very much to all the parents/carers who contributed cake to this event.

 

House Captain Elections

On September 23rd our school elected our Year 8 House Captains.  The election followed a week-long period of campaigning in which prospective candidates wrote a letter of application and gave a formal speech in front of the whole school.  All the candidates gave an excellent account of themselves and should be hugely congratulated for their efforts.

The successful candidates were:

 

Aidan House

Michael & Ben

 

Bede House

Will & Martha

 

Cuthbert House

Nieva & Jacob

 

Northumberland Youth Elections

If you are aged between 11 and 18 then you are able to stand in the Northumberland Youth Elections for positions in the Northumberland Youth Parliament or Youth Cabinet.  You can apply to take part in the elections until December 2nd, 2022.  To do please use this link.

 

Year 5 Welfare Meeting – Tuesday 4 October 2022

Just a reminder that on Tuesday 4th October we are are holding a Virtual Parents’ Meeting between 9.00 am – 3.30 pm.  This will be in addition to our normal Parents Evenings.  The Year 5 meeting will be repeated for all Year groups later in the academic year.

We will hold these welfare meetings via video conferencing similar to Zoom/Google Meet. Please visit www.drthomlinson.schoolcloud.co.uk to book your appointments.

 

Financial well being help & resources

Please find resources below to help with Financial Well Being

This article explains everything you need to know about the government’s energy support available to all households and how this will be rolled-out.

 

British Gas Energy Trust – Independent advice and support – British Gas

British Gas Energy Trust is an independent charitable trust that has been set up to support families in the UK who may be struggling, regardless of who supplies your energy. The Trust has put together a Bounce Back Checklist that provides over 220 links to take you straight to the free help and support that you might need. This covers topics such as Cost of living help, help towards paying for a funeral, food banks, childcare/school costs, water bill costs and much more.

 

Fighting UK Poverty – Turn2us

Turn2us is a national charity that provides practical help to people that are struggling financially. Their website offers a range of information and resources, including grants that could help people on low incomes, or those that are struggling with finances due to an illness or disability.

 

Help for Households – Get government cost of living support

Help for Households is a specific page set up on www.gov.uk to help people easily find the support they need regarding the cost of living. This page also includes links on help with transport costs, help finding work and discounts and offers available through businesses.

 

Mental Health & Money Advice can offer free, independent and confidential advice and support for money and mental health issues. There is a section, with interactive tools to help with budget planning, savings calculator, and debt health check.

 

TOP Awards

Each week our Form Tutors award Thomlinson Outstanding Pupil Awards for the pupils in their Form Classes who have best epitomised the core value of the week.

 

w/c 26.9.22 – Justice

5T Annabelle

5H Louie

6O Oliver

6M Rosie

7I Amber

7L Dillan

8N Martha

8S Will

 

w/c  19.9.22 – Peace

5T Imogen

5H Anna

6O Abbi

6M Hannah

7I Alfie

7L Flynn

8N Dexter

8S Chloe

 

w/c  12.9.22 – Endurance

5T Amelie

5H Niamh

6O Tyler

6M River

7I Emma

7L Flynn

8N Imogen

8S Leonid

 

w/c  5.9.22 – Compassion

5T Finn

5H Isabella

6O Thomas

6M Libby

7I Max

7L Gabriel

8N Maisie

8S Freya

 

Well done to all of these award winners!

 

I hope you have a lovely weekend.

Take care,

Liam Murtagh – Headteacher

Dr Thomlinson Ofsted Report – 5th & 6th July 2022

20th September 2022Miss T Carnaby

Dear Parents / Carers,

I enclose the OFSTED report detailing the inspection that was carried out on 5th & 6th July, 2022. We are very pleased that the report shows that Dr Thomlinson Church of England Middle School continues to be a good school.

I recommend you read the report. The report is a concise document which helpfully  highlights many positive aspects of our school as well as an area in which we can further improve.

Thank you for your ongoing support and we look forward to carrying on our journey together in a partnership that will look to provide an excellent education to all our learners in order to enable them to achieve their full potential.

Yours sincerely,

Liam Murtagh – Headteacher

 

 

Her Majesty the Queen

9th September 2022alana whenary

We are deeply saddened by the news of the death of Her Majesty the Queen.

We offer our heartfelt condolences to the Royal Family.

Message from the Headteacher – 15 July 2022

15th July 2022Miss T Carnaby

Dear Parents/Carers,

I hope this email finds you well.

We have had a very exciting week at Dr Thomlinson CofE Middle School.

Sports Day – July 11th

It was lovely to see so many Parents / Carers able to celebrate our Sports Day with us on Monday afternoon.  I’m sure all those who were able to attend will agree that they were presented with a feast of competitive sport.  I really enjoyed the afternoon and it is incredible to think that 22 school records were broken during this afternoon sporting fiesta.

The results of the Sports Day will be announced on Thursday afternoon following our Church Service at All Saints, Rothbury.  Thank you so much to Mr Heath for organising the events.

Consultation on an amendment to our school’s Christian Vision and Values

July 15th, 2022 – July 29th, 2022

“For the good of all” (Corinthians 1:12:7)

As a Church of England School the effectiveness and impact of our school’s Christian vision is inspected through SIAMS – the Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools.  Part of this work is considering how well the school has developed an inclusive and distinctive Christian vision.  As part of our school’s ongoing work in this area we are writing to inform you of a consultation Dr Thomlinson CofE Middle School is conducting with our stakeholders on an amendment to our school’s Christian Vision And Values.  Please find a letter explaining this attached to this email.

Year 8 helping in First Schools

Year 8 have been helping and supporting children in our feeder first schools during the last two weeks and their work has been much appreciated.  One leader in a First School remarked of our Year 8 pupils: “Just wanted to say how wonderful your year 8s were this afternoon – what a lovely bunch!”  I agree – they are a lovely bunch of pupils and it is lovely to get such appreciative feedback.  Well done Year 8.

End of Term Church Service – July 21st 1:40pm – All Saints Church, Rothbury

Thursday – 21st July @ 1:40pm will see our end of year Church Service at All Saints Church.  Parents/Carers are very much invited.  The service will be a chance for us to say our goodbyes to our Year 8 leavers.  We look forward to seeing you there.

Signing Leavers Shirts

The signing of leavers shirts is a lovely tradition and one which we will honour this year.  There will be a time on Tuesday, 19th July for Leavers Shirts to be signed.  Please can pupils ensure they have a clean spare school polo shirt which they will be able to wear once one of their school shirts have been signed.  Thank you for your support in this matter

Disco – July 18th

On Monday 18th July from 6pm – 7:30pm there will be a Disco at Dr Thomlinson Middle School for all pupils.  Entry is £3 and our Year 8’s have already chosen the music.  A small number of parent helpers have kindly volunteered, if you are still to contact the school to offer your services then please contact the school office.

Ofsted Report

We really look  forward to being able to share our recent Ofsted report with you.  We are currently waiting to be sent a copy of the report.  As reported on the Ofsted website reports are ready to be shared within approximately 30 working days of an Inspection: “Typically, we will send the school an electronic version of the final report within 30 working days of the end of the inspection.”

Please be aware this may mean that our report will be ready in September, 2022.

Hot Weather

The final week of school for this academic year looks like it will be a hot one – please try and make sure that pupils come to school with a water bottle and ,preferably a hat and with sun cream.

TOP Awards – Wk beginning July 11th, 2022

The theme of this week is Creation

5T Joh & Layla

5H Grace

6O Emma

6M Xanthe

7I Kate

7L Elsa

8N Lacey

8S George

Well done on all of these award winners.

School will be closed at the end of Thursday, July 21st, 2022

Next week our school will close for the Summer Holidays on July 21st, and reopen for pupils on September 6th, 2022.

I hope you have a lovely weekend.

Take care,

Liam Murtagh – Headteacher